Here’s the top three things I learnt about the industry in July

By Alistair Dunsmuir
August 1, 2017 16:00

From a radically different type of course that one group is introducing to attract families to the extraordinary differences clubs are finding they are paying on their business rates, golf in July was much more than just the Open Championship, states The Golf Business editor Alistair Dunsmuir.

Combining golf with other activities can work

Footgolf has been a proven success while rugbygolf and discgolf have also been popular.

Last month, to teach the game to children, former Open champion Louis Oosthuizen used a giant inflatable dartboard for juniors to aim balls at.

It might not be traditional, but the children had fun – and now they have a taste for golf.

Some major golf venues saw a reduction in the amount of tax they have to pay following the business rate change for England and Wales, which came into effect in April.

Some, also saw large rises, for example Wentworth’s rateable value increased by £50,000.

And one club saw an extraordinary increase – The KP Club in Yorkshire discovered its rateable value had nearly doubled, meaning it now has to pay more than £130,000 per year, when previously it was paying less than £90,000.

The company, which owns seven golf clubs in the UK, believes that families are the future of this industry, and so it has devised radically different courses to replace the par three facilities at three of the venues.

The new courses now feature holes with two tees and two cups on each green – one for footgolf and one for golf, meaning the same group can play both games together. And the golf cup is about twice the size of a standard hole. Plus there’s no par on the scorecard.